# McClelland's Virginia Woods......



## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

Good stuff. Just not what I had hoped for. I wasn't expecting this nougat/maple/caramel candy coating. It reminded me of that Benjamin Hartwell Evening Stroll that Altadis makes, but with MUCH better tobacco to hold up the casing/flavoring. It smokes reasonably cool for a mostly VA ribbon cut blend, the VA notes are in there, just WAAAAYYYY down in there. The sweet spot for me has been just past the halfway point in the bowl. I am not going to swap it away, but I don't know if I'll seek it out again. Spring may just be the wrong time of year for me to smoke this as the flavor package makes me think of cooler weather. I will continue to revisit this as curiosity warrants and see what develops. I would certainly tell all the aromatic lovers who are looking for a more tobacco-y experience to check this out. ...for reference, this was a tin dated 2007. Your results may vary.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

While lightly fragrant, this is a solid VA, not an aromatic. Very woodsy, truly, it does have that woody flavor. Touch of spice, but not perique or oriental spicy. Its great stuff, and does beg a dedicated pipe to pick up the nuances. A perfect cut for Frank filling.

Allow to sit in tin (after popping seal) for a week, makes the McKetchup aroma dissipate :shock:


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## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

RJpuffs said:


> While lightly fragrant, this is a solid VA, not an aromatic. Very woodsy, truly, it does have that woody flavor. Touch of spice, but not perique or oriental spicy. Its great stuff, and does beg a dedicated pipe to pick up the nuances. A perfect cut for Frank filling.
> 
> Allow to sit in tin (after popping seal) for a week, makes the McKetchup aroma dissipate :shock:


The catsup note doesn't bug me in the least. In fact I kind of like it! It was the initial topping flavors I have gotten that kind of bugged me. It also seemed really mild as far as tobacco character is concerned. But, that couldalso just be me.....I spent the last 3 weeks smoking Filmore, Uniflake, and PS Cube Cut. All baccys with a good backbone. Like I said, not giving up, just not instantly enthralled.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

I didn't really like it. The ribbon cut was thin and glossy, it burned wet and I just really didn't find all too much to do in the flavor. I'd love to try it again but only if its available in a trade.


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## Davetopay (Jan 19, 2008)

Mad Hatter said:


> I didn't really like it. The ribbon cut was thin and glossy, it burned wet and I just really didn't find all too much to do in the flavor. I'd love to try it again but only if its available in a trade.


I have to tell you, having let it sit in the tin has done WONDERS for this blend. A large portion of the topping has seemed to evaporate, and the leaf has dried a bit. It smokes much better now. The top notes are still there, but the baccy is much more in the forefront and smokes in a much more well behaved fashion. I may now order more, pop the top, put on the plastic lid, and wait 5 or 6 months to smoke it.

Heck, I could see this being an interesting base for a custom/house blend once dosed with a pinch of Latakia and some Perique......:hmm:


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